Poppy's First Photoshoot

She's three weeks old today and  loves the camera!  These are some of the shots I took earlier today.  I saved my very favorite Poppy picture ever for last. :)  She's in her chewing phase right now, and since cockatiels use taste rather than smell for identification, she's extremely oral.  She's very gentle with her tasting and so far only chews approved chewies we have given her.  She has shown no inclination to eat on her own, despite me trying to offer her various foods throughout the day.  I'm guessing that since she's the only chick to care for, she will wean on the late side.

Her painful wax sheaths that cover each emerging feather are starting to fall now, making her a very mess little bird.  She's working hard to preen her feathers out, her parents are helping, and L and I are helping as well.  It's extremely uncomfortable for the birds to have those wax sheaths poking into their skin--it's kind of the bird equivalent of the unpleasant teething phase that human babies have to go through.

I'm seeing a glimmer in sight of actually reaching the point of being caught up with things (except our house projects, and that's hopeless right now) and I'm feeling so much better.  It seems like every time I've reached this point over the last few months, something ridiculously unexpected pops up and knocks me back down.  I'm feeling quite positive that this time I will reach that thrill of not being behind on things, even if it's only for a day!